Grateful Dead
28 August 1988
Autzen Stadium
Eugene, OR

Slipkid68 master recording
2017 transfer by JEMS

Sony WM-D3 with stock mic > Maxell XL-II 90 minute cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 (16/44.1 capture to .wav) > iZotope RX and Ozone > FLAC

Jerry Garcia > guitar, vocals
Mickey Hart > drums, percussion
Bill Kreutzmann > drums, percussion
Phil Lesh > bass, vocals
Brent Mydland > organ, keyboards, vocals
Bob Weir > guitar, vocals

01_intro
02_Mississipi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo
03_Little Red Rooster
04_Friend of the Devil
05_Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
06_Foolish Heart
07_Victim or the Crime
08_Don't Ease Me In

set two

09_ambiance
10_Jack Straw
11_Bertha
12_Truckin'
13_Terrapin Station
14_Drums
15_Space
16_The Other One
17_Wharf Rat
18_Throwing Stones
19_Not Fade Away
20_Knockin' on Heaven's Door

This master recording captures the Grateful Dead performing in 1988 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. That day, the music didnâ€™t register as special. But playback allowed me to listen in a different environment, and after 29 years, I discovered some extraordinary moments.

The first set was somewhat low-key. While engaging and well-played, it never quite caught fire, though â€œLittle Red Roosterâ€ had a nice spark that carried over into a fine â€œFriend of the Devil.â€ The works-in-progress â€œFoolish Heartâ€ and â€œVictim or the Crimeâ€ showed the band's workshop ethic, and in front of a large, end-of-summer crowd that probably had more familiar songs in mind, that was laudable.

â€œJack Strawâ€ and â€œBerthaâ€ opened the second set, two crowd-pleasers that usually appear earlier, giving the place a jolt. â€œTruckinâ€™â€ sounded robust, keeping the energy up, and we all got our tickets punched for â€œTerrapin Station,â€ which tightened up considerably as it rolled to a great finish. But the high point was still to come, beginning with the jam out of â€œSpace.â€ The band's focus there led to an amped-up version of â€œThe Other Oneâ€ and a stellar â€œWharf Rat.â€ That was easily the most transcendent music the band played that afternoon. They found their collective mojo, making the last hour or so a real pleasure to hear.

I taped on the field, standing house right, perhaps 30 yards back. I had to contend with a bit of a party atmosphere and wind, too, both of which youâ€™ll hear at times. Fortunately neither intrudes at length and both dissipated as the show progressed. By the time the music got really interesting in set two, the sound settles in nicely. In post, I made a few edits and smoothed out instances where I missed a couple tape flips (one in â€œTerrapin Stationâ€ and another in â€œNot Fade Awayâ€). Parts of the drums segment and "Not Fade Away" feature slight volume-down fluctations, but neither is a major flaw.

Thanks to BK for the transfer from the master tapes to digital (his only show came two days before in Tacoma, where near-disastrous sound problems and a lackluster performance deflated the argument I'd been making to him in favor of the band).

It was a good day at Autzen, among friends, fellow fans, and good opening sets from Robert Cray and Jimmy Cliff. And having made a decent field recording, I'm pleased that the music sounds better than I remember.

Share it freely, and for free!

 - slipkid68


